Pennsylvanians, regardless of party, who vote in the May 18 primary will be asked to consider four ballot questions.
The questions include a statewide referendum and three proposed constitutional amendments.
Question 1: Making municipal fire and emergency medical services companies eligible for a state loan program
This statewide referendum asks voters to consider expanding eligibility for a loan program to include municipal fire departments with paid personal and EMS companies. Currently, only volunteer fire companies, volunteer ambulance services and volunteer rescue squads are eligible for the program.
Eligible services can use the money to update equipment and buildings.
The referendum does not authorize additional debt to fund the program.
Question 2: Relating to termination or extension of disaster emergency declaration
If passed, this proposed constitutional amendment would allow the General Assembly to "terminate or extend a disaster emergency declaration or a portion of such declaration without needing the Governor’s approval."
The state has been under a disaster declaration for over a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Currently, the governor has the final say on extending or ending a disaster declaration. If the General Assembly passes a resolution to terminate or extend the declaration, it must go to the governor for final approval. If the governor vetoes the resolution, it can only become law if two-thirds of the State House and State Senate override the veto.
The proposed constitutional amendment would allow the General Assembly to extend or end a disaster declaration with a majority vote on a concurrent resolution. The General Assembly would not need to present the resolution to the governor for approval.
Passing the proposed constitutional amendment would have the effect of reversing a recent Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling that determined resolutions passed by the legislature ending disaster emergency declarations have to go to the governor for approval.
Question 3: Disaster emergency declaration and management
This proposed constitutional amendment asks voters if disaster emergency declarations in Pennsylvania should last 21 days instead of the current 90 days.
If passed, the governor would still retain the power to declare an initial disaster emergency declaration, but only the General Assembly would have the power to extend it. The governor would also be unable to issue a new declaration upon the expiration of an old declaration based on the same facts without a resolution passed by the General Assembly.
Question 4: Prohibition against denial or abridgment of equality of rights because of race or ethnicity
If approved, this proposed constitutional amendment would add a new section to Article 1 of the Pennsylvania Constitution prohibiting discrimination based on race or ethnicity.
Federal protections against this type of discrimination already exist, but the Pennsylvania Department of State says "if the current federal protections proscribing racial or ethnic discrimination are abolished, the prohibition against such discrimination will remain in the Pennsylvania Constitution."